1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with portable devices for providing sustenance to pets while traveling. More particularly, the invention is directed to such devices for the feeding and watering of small household pets wherein the devices comprise an upper container for storing feed or water, with a lower stowable dish which can be moved from a retracted position beneath the container to an access position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
People traveling with pets must assure that the pet can be properly fed and watered during the trip. Traditionally, travelers have simply carried along food and water dishes along with supplies of food and water for the pet. From time to time, the dishes are filled and put out for the pet.
Such improvisations present a number of practical problems. First of all, the dishes must be stored in an auto or luggage, and can create a space problem. Moreover, carrying sacks of pet feed and containers of water exacerbates these difficulties, and spillage of the feed and water is a common occurrence.
A number of patents have attempted to address these issues. U.S. Pat. No. 2,659,344 discloses a circular enclosure device for pets including a primary body with a swinging door. A pet may rest within the body and is enclosed by the door. The door also carries a shelf supporting a pair of bowls for feeding/watering of the pet. A separate slide-out drawer is also provided for storage purposes. This device does little to overcome the problems of traveling with pets, inasmuch as the food and water must be carried and placed within the door-mounted bowls as needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,719 discloses an automatic pet food dispenser with an automated storage drum and associated tray. The storage drum has multiple bins defined by respective panels filled with pet food. The bins open a feed shoot as the drum rotates about a central hub. Food from an open bin thus drops into the tray, which slides between an open position and a stowed position. While this device allows timed feeding of a pet from the individual bins, it is not at all adapted for easy carrying and use while traveling. It also requires a power source which may be inconvenient or unavailable to a traveler.
Other patents of background interest include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,534,444, 3,188,157, D233,895, 4,947,796, D335,939, 5,404,838, 6,055,932, and 6,845,735.
Despite the variety of pet-feeding/watering devices of the prior art, the problem of providing a truly convenient, space-efficient, and traveler-friendly device for feeding and watering of pets has not been met.